Our Beliefs

We are a biblical church. We want God's Word to have the first place in what we believe and in our worldview. 

We are a Lutheran church. The doctrine of justification, that through Jesus Christ's payment for sins God declares a person forgiven, righteous, and holy, is our constant message.

We are a Christian church. We gather to praise God and to be strengthened by God's Word. We reach out to those around us in Christian love. 

For a more detailed explanation of our beliefs, see the documents below. "This We Believe" is a statement of beliefs from our national church body, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). The Augsburg Confession is one of the historic documents explaining what Lutheran churches believe, teach, and confess. 

Finally, our pastor is always ready to study our teachings with you, from the Bible, so that you can see for yourself what God says. 

Our Pastor

Hi, I'm Pastor Pappenfuss. I was born in Houston, TX, and lived in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Michigan growing up. In high school, I attended and graduated from Michigan Lutheran Seminary in Saginaw, MI in 2006. I earned a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree from Martin Luther College of New Ulm, MN in 2010, and finished my formal education as a 2014 Graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wisconsin (pictured above). In December of 2011, I married my wonderful wife, Karis, an early childhood educator. We have been blessed with four sons.

Our Story

St John was founded in 1897 and serves the towns of Enterprise, Pelican Lake, Elcho, Post Lake, and Summit Lake. 

St Paul was founded in 1902 and serves the Crandon area.

Christ was founded in 1916 and serves the Hiles area. 

In 2015, St John, St Paul, and Christ chose to form a tri-parish. They are still three congregations, but now are strategically connected for the good of God’s kingdom. 

Our Heritage

St John, Christ, and St Paul are proud members the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).  The WELS has been around since 1850, and serves nearly 400,000 Christians in North America, and supports mission work in 25 countries around the world.

St John, Christ, and St Paul follow the Bible as the first and foremost authority. We also hold to the Lutheran Confessions. These documents were prepared in the 16th century during the Lutheran Reformation. Undeniably, life is not the same today as it was in Germany in the 1500s. Fortunately for all of us, God remains the same forever. The truths of grace, love, redemption and the practical wisdom for life God has given us through His Word are just as real and useful today.  We seek to share the life giving message of Jesus, honoring the past and looking to the future.